Guardian Angel - NC17 - Chloe/Bruce - Chapter Twelve
Title: Guardian Angel
Category: Smallville/Batman [Crossover]
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce Wayne
Word Count: 1,341
Summary: Her guardian angel was a dark man with a fetish for rodents. Figures.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven,
dhfreak
XII.
She was right. When she arrived at the large burning harbor, there were people all over, some of them cops trying to keep the crowd at bay, others throwing garbage and broken furniture onto the fire, hollering and laughing as the everything burned bright. She stood in the background, keen eyes watching, searching. Most people were talking amongst each other, pointing and shaking their heads at the flaming harbor. She could hear the sirens of the firefighters coming and watched as the cops segregated everybody, those who were innocent and were likely to just hurry home and hide in their apartments once more from those who were sure to cause trouble. She was caught in the middle, still searching for familiar faces, anything that might give away just who had done this.
And then she spotted it.
Lying their on the ground, a small little playing card. She bent down, picked it up and swallowed tightly. She pocketed it before turning and hurrying back to her apartment. As she got inside, she locked the doors and kicked off her shoes before she nearly ran to her laptop, booted it up and brought her largest and most in-depth file up. She sighed, annoyed that she was shaking on the inside. When she heard a knock at her window, she flinched, but scowled, forcing herself to calm down before she grabbed her tazer from her dresser and made her way into the living room. There was a shadow covering the window of her balcony and she stepped closer, head tipped curiously. She pushed the curtains back hesitantly, telling herself not to scream no matter what she saw. And then she rolled her eyes, shoulders slumping and unlocked the sliding glass door.
"Don't move," she ordered before running into the bathroom and grabbing a towel, she dropped it on the floor for him to step on as he climbed inside. He closed the door behind him, locked it and then stared at her before holding out a hand.
She sighed before walking to her room, grabbing up the card and coming back. She dropped it in his hand and frowned. "He really is back."
Batman stared down at the card, his lips firming into a line. "And this was his greeting to Gotham." He lifted his chin and stared at her. "If I tell you to leave...?"
Her brow cocked. "I wouldn't," she said firmly.
He nodded. "Then move." He looked around. "This isn't safe."
"And where am I supposed to go?" she asked, eyes widening. "I'm not exactly working a glamorous job that pays big." She shrugged looking around. "So it's not in a safe area, but it hasn't failed me yet."
"There've been two break-in's since you moved in."
She put her hands on her hips. "I think I would've noticed."
He frowned at her. "I stopped them before they got in."
Her shoulders slumped. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
His mouth twitched. "You're welcome."
She rolled her eyes. "All right, fine. I'll go apartment hunting tomorrow. But I think this," she tapped the card, "is a little more important."
He straightened. "I'll take care of it."
She shook her head. "Go ahead... Play the stoic, single hero that can take on the world. But when you realize you need help, then you know where to find me." She glanced at the balcony door. "I think you know your way out."
He frowned. "You're trying to help and I appreciate that. But I've dealt with the Joker before... He's not going to respond to anybody else."
"And when he responds to you..." She stepped closer, eyes wide with seriousness, "What do you expect to happen? What do you expect to come out of you two raging war against each other? Because there is a city between you and while you're trying to stop him, he's using it to cause more and more chaos. So you can do this your way and you can fight your little vendetta off by yourself, or you can ask for a little help and I can give you the right connections to finally rid Gotham of one of its worst enemies."
His jaw twitched beneath his cowl. "We'll see."
She sighed, nodding before she turned her back on him. He stood there a long moment, simply staring at her before finally taking the hint and leaving through the door he came in. She bit her lip to keep it from wobbling and went over to lock the door. Closing the curtains, she made her way back to her bedroom and worried over just what might come of all this. Closing her laptop, she moved it off her bed and climbed beneath her covers still wearing the jeans and sweatshirt she'd pulled on after shedding the beautiful dress she'd been wearing earlier. She tugged the covers around her, turned off the lamp and sighed, closing her eyes tight. How could I night that started out so wonderful turn so dark?
Only in Gotham; only to her.
She would've laughed if she didn't feel like crying.
OoO
"I heard about the explosion, are you okay?" Clark asked worriedly over the phone.
"I'm fine," she assured, pouring herself a large cup of coffee. "At the time of the explosion, I wasn't even on the island."
There was a pause. "Where were you?"
"On Bruce Wayne's private yacht," she admitted, not with a little bit of excitement. "He took me out to see Gotham from afar, to get a real look at it, and wow, Clark. It's just... amazing. It was so beautiful. Which is hard to believe because when I got back in there, close enough to be feel the fire of the harbor, I couldn't fathom having such outer beauty and inner ugliness."
"Sounds like you had an eventful night."
She nodded. "You can say that again," she muttered, blowing on her coffee briefly before she took a seat at her kitchen table.
"Is that Chloe?" Lois' voice could be heard calling out.
"Uh, no. It's... somebody you don't like."
"Wow, Smallville... Your lying skills have gotten worse. I didn't even think that was possible."
"Shut up."
"Lemme talk to her."
"No. You always get to talk to her. It's my turn."
"What are you, four?"
"If I'm four, you're three."
Chloe laughed. "I have to get to work, you guys."
"See! Now look what you've done," Clark exclaimed. "That was two minutes I could've spent talking to Chloe."
"Yeah, well, maybe if you'd just learn that I'm always right, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
He snorted. "Always right? Uh, do you remember last week?"
"Well that was-"
"Or just last Sunday, when you-"
"Again, that wasn't really-"
"And yesterday when you-"
"Gimme the phone, Smallville, and I promise not to hurt you!"
With a sigh, the phone was passed over.
"I. Want. Details."
Chloe chuckled. "Sorry Lo, I have to be at work in five. But I will call you tonight and tell you everything."
"And in this everything, there happens to be something, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "There may or may not have been a breathtaking kiss that made my knees weak."
"Yes!" she cheered. "Okay, call me tonight; I want to hear all about it."
"All right. Talk to you then. Bye."
She could hear Lois and Clark start their arguing again before the phone was hung up. As she put her own on the cradle, she stood up and made her way over to her purse to make sure she had everything before she left for work. She just knew the Gazette would be going crazy when she got there. She couldn't quite muster the enthusiasm expected to write the piece, but she'd get it done. If it did nothing else, it would get her mind of the current love and work issues driving her crazy. Between Bruce Wayne, Batman, the Joker and her expose, she was beginning to think an early vacation wasn't a bad idea.
[ Next: Chapter Thirteen.]
Category: Smallville/Batman [Crossover]
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce Wayne
Word Count: 1,341
Summary: Her guardian angel was a dark man with a fetish for rodents. Figures.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven,
dhfreak
XII.
She was right. When she arrived at the large burning harbor, there were people all over, some of them cops trying to keep the crowd at bay, others throwing garbage and broken furniture onto the fire, hollering and laughing as the everything burned bright. She stood in the background, keen eyes watching, searching. Most people were talking amongst each other, pointing and shaking their heads at the flaming harbor. She could hear the sirens of the firefighters coming and watched as the cops segregated everybody, those who were innocent and were likely to just hurry home and hide in their apartments once more from those who were sure to cause trouble. She was caught in the middle, still searching for familiar faces, anything that might give away just who had done this.
And then she spotted it.
Lying their on the ground, a small little playing card. She bent down, picked it up and swallowed tightly. She pocketed it before turning and hurrying back to her apartment. As she got inside, she locked the doors and kicked off her shoes before she nearly ran to her laptop, booted it up and brought her largest and most in-depth file up. She sighed, annoyed that she was shaking on the inside. When she heard a knock at her window, she flinched, but scowled, forcing herself to calm down before she grabbed her tazer from her dresser and made her way into the living room. There was a shadow covering the window of her balcony and she stepped closer, head tipped curiously. She pushed the curtains back hesitantly, telling herself not to scream no matter what she saw. And then she rolled her eyes, shoulders slumping and unlocked the sliding glass door.
"Don't move," she ordered before running into the bathroom and grabbing a towel, she dropped it on the floor for him to step on as he climbed inside. He closed the door behind him, locked it and then stared at her before holding out a hand.
She sighed before walking to her room, grabbing up the card and coming back. She dropped it in his hand and frowned. "He really is back."
Batman stared down at the card, his lips firming into a line. "And this was his greeting to Gotham." He lifted his chin and stared at her. "If I tell you to leave...?"
Her brow cocked. "I wouldn't," she said firmly.
He nodded. "Then move." He looked around. "This isn't safe."
"And where am I supposed to go?" she asked, eyes widening. "I'm not exactly working a glamorous job that pays big." She shrugged looking around. "So it's not in a safe area, but it hasn't failed me yet."
"There've been two break-in's since you moved in."
She put her hands on her hips. "I think I would've noticed."
He frowned at her. "I stopped them before they got in."
Her shoulders slumped. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
His mouth twitched. "You're welcome."
She rolled her eyes. "All right, fine. I'll go apartment hunting tomorrow. But I think this," she tapped the card, "is a little more important."
He straightened. "I'll take care of it."
She shook her head. "Go ahead... Play the stoic, single hero that can take on the world. But when you realize you need help, then you know where to find me." She glanced at the balcony door. "I think you know your way out."
He frowned. "You're trying to help and I appreciate that. But I've dealt with the Joker before... He's not going to respond to anybody else."
"And when he responds to you..." She stepped closer, eyes wide with seriousness, "What do you expect to happen? What do you expect to come out of you two raging war against each other? Because there is a city between you and while you're trying to stop him, he's using it to cause more and more chaos. So you can do this your way and you can fight your little vendetta off by yourself, or you can ask for a little help and I can give you the right connections to finally rid Gotham of one of its worst enemies."
His jaw twitched beneath his cowl. "We'll see."
She sighed, nodding before she turned her back on him. He stood there a long moment, simply staring at her before finally taking the hint and leaving through the door he came in. She bit her lip to keep it from wobbling and went over to lock the door. Closing the curtains, she made her way back to her bedroom and worried over just what might come of all this. Closing her laptop, she moved it off her bed and climbed beneath her covers still wearing the jeans and sweatshirt she'd pulled on after shedding the beautiful dress she'd been wearing earlier. She tugged the covers around her, turned off the lamp and sighed, closing her eyes tight. How could I night that started out so wonderful turn so dark?
Only in Gotham; only to her.
She would've laughed if she didn't feel like crying.
OoO
"I heard about the explosion, are you okay?" Clark asked worriedly over the phone.
"I'm fine," she assured, pouring herself a large cup of coffee. "At the time of the explosion, I wasn't even on the island."
There was a pause. "Where were you?"
"On Bruce Wayne's private yacht," she admitted, not with a little bit of excitement. "He took me out to see Gotham from afar, to get a real look at it, and wow, Clark. It's just... amazing. It was so beautiful. Which is hard to believe because when I got back in there, close enough to be feel the fire of the harbor, I couldn't fathom having such outer beauty and inner ugliness."
"Sounds like you had an eventful night."
She nodded. "You can say that again," she muttered, blowing on her coffee briefly before she took a seat at her kitchen table.
"Is that Chloe?" Lois' voice could be heard calling out.
"Uh, no. It's... somebody you don't like."
"Wow, Smallville... Your lying skills have gotten worse. I didn't even think that was possible."
"Shut up."
"Lemme talk to her."
"No. You always get to talk to her. It's my turn."
"What are you, four?"
"If I'm four, you're three."
Chloe laughed. "I have to get to work, you guys."
"See! Now look what you've done," Clark exclaimed. "That was two minutes I could've spent talking to Chloe."
"Yeah, well, maybe if you'd just learn that I'm always right, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
He snorted. "Always right? Uh, do you remember last week?"
"Well that was-"
"Or just last Sunday, when you-"
"Again, that wasn't really-"
"And yesterday when you-"
"Gimme the phone, Smallville, and I promise not to hurt you!"
With a sigh, the phone was passed over.
"I. Want. Details."
Chloe chuckled. "Sorry Lo, I have to be at work in five. But I will call you tonight and tell you everything."
"And in this everything, there happens to be something, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "There may or may not have been a breathtaking kiss that made my knees weak."
"Yes!" she cheered. "Okay, call me tonight; I want to hear all about it."
"All right. Talk to you then. Bye."
She could hear Lois and Clark start their arguing again before the phone was hung up. As she put her own on the cradle, she stood up and made her way over to her purse to make sure she had everything before she left for work. She just knew the Gazette would be going crazy when she got there. She couldn't quite muster the enthusiasm expected to write the piece, but she'd get it done. If it did nothing else, it would get her mind of the current love and work issues driving her crazy. Between Bruce Wayne, Batman, the Joker and her expose, she was beginning to think an early vacation wasn't a bad idea.
[ Next: Chapter Thirteen.]